Attorney Profiles >

Stella W. Yap

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email: syap@rjallanlaw.com

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STELLA W. YAP is a shareholder at Allan Law Group PC.

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STELLA W. YAP earned her undergraduate degree at UCLA with

honors and her law degree at Loyola Law School of Los Angeles,

where she was a staff member on the International Law Review.

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Ms. Yap represents creatives, entrepreneurs, companies, and rights holders in the music, film/TV, documentary, and unscripted/reality industries. With over two decades of experience in entertainment, music and business law — as well as related litigation — she helps clients protect, structure, and advance their intellectual property and business interests.

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Ms. Yap advises clients in the music industry on recording, publishing, distribution, licensing, production, merchandising, catalog monetization, and rights-management matters. Her clients include songwriters, musicians, producers, music publishers, directors, writers, actors, production companies, and other rights holders working across the creative and entertainment sectors.

 

Her film/TV and documentary practice includes financing and production legal, rights clearance, releases, producer and talent agreements, unscripted/reality-show participant contracts, and distributor/licensor deals. She regularly assists productions with risk assessment, chain-of-title, and project structuring.

 

In her business law practice, Ms. Yap assists companies and founders with entity formation and structuring (LLCs, corporations, and partnerships), investor and shareholder agreements, NDAs and confidentiality agreements, employment matters, and general commercial transactions. She also represents clients in partnership disputes, contract matters, and business and intellectual property-related litigation.

 

Her work also includes drafting and negotiating a wide range of talent and representation agreements, including management, agent, producer, director, writer, composer, collaboration, endorsement, sponsorship, influencer, and brand-partnership agreements. She handles creative-services agreements, work-for-hire arrangements, co-production and joint-venture agreements, and profit-participation structures.

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Ms. Yap was part of the legal team representing Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone) in the high-profile litigation against his former manager, which resulted in a jury verdict and ultimately a settlement that restored Stewart’s royalty and publishing rights. She then assisted in negotiating the subsequent sale of Stewart’s U.S. publishing rights to Mijac Music, administered by Sony Music Publishing. Her work on the matter reflects her deep experience with royalty and management disputes, catalog monetization, and complex copyright and entertainment transactions.

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​Ms. Yap is known for her steady, thoughtful approach to complex legal matters. She brings strong analytical judgment, clear communication, and a measured, solutions-oriented mindset to her work. Her experience includes guiding clients through negotiations, helping resolve business and legal conflicts, and providing strategic counsel in matters that require careful evaluation and professionalism. 

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Ms. Yap maintains offices in Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and Malibu, and represents clients worldwide. Whether advising an artist, a filmmaker, or a business entity, she brings a balanced combination of legal expertise, industry knowledge, and practical strategy to help clients achieve their goals.

 

Areas of Practice:

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Business Law

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Civil Litigation

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Music Law and Litigation

 

Entertainment Law and Litigation

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Bar Admissions:

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California

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Education: 

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Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California, 2000
J.D.

Honors: Vice-President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society
Law Review: Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review, Staff Member

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University of California, Los Angeles, 1996
B.A.
Honors: Cum Laude 
Major:  Psychology

 

Professional Associations and Memberships:

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Los Angeles Bar Association

Member
 

Beverly Hills Bar Association

Member

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American Bar Association

Member

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Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association

Member
 

Pacific Council on International Policy

Member

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Allan Law Group represents clients with domestic and international business interests in the United States, China, Russia, India, and the southern California cities of Los Angeles, Universal City, Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Pasadena, Glendale, Woodland Hills, Encino, Century City, Simi Valley, Los Angeles, Malibu, Ventura, Santa Monica, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, and Malibu.